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1. Dictionary

   degenerate

   adjective

   • 1. having lost the physical, mental, or moral qualities considered normal and desirable; showing evidence of decline: "a degenerate form of a higher civilization" Similar debaseddegradedcorruptcorruptedvitiatedbastardimpureOpposite pure
   • 2. lacking some usual or expected property or quality. technical Similar corruptdecadentdissolutedissipateddebauchedrakishreprobateprofligatedepravedperverteddespicablebasevice-riddenwickedsinfulungodlyimmoralunprincipledamoraldishonourabledisreputableunsavourysordidlowmeanignoblelewdlecherouslasciviouslicentiouslibidinousloosepromiscuouswantonlibertineintemperateinformal:pervyOpposite moral
   • ▪ (of a type of equation, curve, etc.) equivalent to a simpler type, especially when a variable or parameter is set to zero.
   • ▪ (of an energy level) corresponding to more than one quantum state.
   • ▪ (of matter) at densities so high that gravitational contraction is counteracted, either by the Pauli exclusion principle or by an analogous quantum effect between closely packed neutrons.
   • ▪ having reverted to a simpler form as a result of losing a complex or adaptive structure present in the ancestral form: "degenerate offshoots from the main line of vertebrate progress"

   noun

   • 1. an immoral or corrupt person: "get out of my house, you degenerate!"

   verb

   • 1. decline or deteriorate physically, mentally, or morally: "the quality of life had degenerated" Similar deterioratedeclinesinkslipslideworsenget/grow worsetake a turn for the worselapsefailfall offslumpgo downhillregressretrogressdecayrotgo to rack and ruininformal:go to potgo to the dogshit the skidsgo down the tubesgo down the toiletgo to the packrare:retrogradedevolvewaste awaywasteatrophyweakenbecome debilitatedOpposite improve

   Word Origin late 15th century: from Latin degeneratus ‘no longer of its kind’, from the verb degenerare, from degener ‘debased’, from de- ‘away from’ + genus, gener- ‘race, kind’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. degenerately adverb

   Scrabble Points: 12

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2. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishDEGENERATE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

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   adjective. formal disapproving uk / dɪˈdʒen.ə.rət / us / dɪˈdʒen.ə.rət / having low standards of behaviour: a degenerate young man. Synonyms. debauched. dissipated formal disapproving. dissolute literary.

3. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › degenerateDegenerate Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › degenerate

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   The meaning of DEGENERATE is having declined or become less specialized (as in nature, character, structure, or function) from an ancestral or former state. How to use degenerate in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Degenerate.

4. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryDEGENERATE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

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   adjective. formal disapproving us / dɪˈdʒen.ə.rət / uk / dɪˈdʒen.ə.rət / having low standards of behavior: a degenerate young man. Synonyms. debauched. dissipated formal disapproving. dissolute literary.

5. www.dictionary.com › browse › degenerateDEGENERATE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › degenerate

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   Degenerate definition: to fall below a normal or desirable level in physical, mental, or moral qualities; deteriorate. See examples of DEGENERATE used in a sentence.

6. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishDEGENERATE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

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   If you describe a person or their behaviour as degenerate, you disapprove of them because you think they have low standards of behaviour or morality.

7. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › degenerateDegenerate - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › degenerate

   If something degenerates, it gets worse, like a food fight that degenerates to an all-out spaghetti-throwing war. Degenerate can also describe an immoral person — or the behavior of such a person.

8. www.thefreedictionary.com › degenerateDegenerate - definition of degenerate by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › degenerate

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   1. To fall below a normal or desirable state, especially functionally or morally; deteriorate: old water pipes that are degenerating with age; a dispute that degenerated into a brawl. 2. To decline in quality: The quality of his writing degenerated as he continued to drink. 3. To undergo degeneration.

9. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryDEGENERATE definition | Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

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   DEGENERATE meaning: 1. to become worse: 2. having low moral principles. Learn more.

10. www.yourdictionary.com › degenerateDegenerate Definition & Meaning | YourDictionary

    www.yourdictionary.com › degenerate

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    Degenerate definition: Having declined, as in function or nature, from a former or original state.

11. www.britannica.com › dictionary › degenerateDegenerate Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

    www.britannica.com › dictionary › degenerate

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    : a person whose behavior is not morally right or socially acceptable. a couple of degenerates on a crime spree. DEGENERATE meaning: to change to a worse state or condition to become worse, weaker, less useful, etc. often + into.